Gaging device.



G. H. SHAPQQR.

GAGING DEVICE.

APPLIQATION FILED, Nov. 2z, 1911.

1,096,271 Patented May12,1914.

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GAGING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1911. 1,096,271. Patented May 12, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.lllll @Hoz/nut Vwill coincide with the ilNiriE@ EENT EFQE.

GEORGE H. SHAFFER, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR GF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES L. BRNTON, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAGNG DEVICE.

To all ywhom t may concern:

Be it known that l, Grenen il. Srinirrnn, a citizen ot' the United States, vresiding at Homestead, in the county of JeLlle'2,'heny, State ot Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in @raging Devices, ot' which the `following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gage devices, and has particular relation to devices employed in the cutting of sheet niaterial.

in many of the arts, and especially in the metal workers art, the material to be cut is ot' such a character and thickness as to render it an exceedingly difficult matter to employ gage structures tor the purpose ot' liz:- ing the position in which the sheet is to be placed to provide the cutting at a predetermined point. As an example, of the diiiieulties encountered, I would refer to the cutting ot' steel plates from the sheet resulting from the rolling and straightening operations in the process of reducing the steel ingot to the commercial product. At the present time, the sheet, after it has passed the straightening rolls, and generally ot a thickness in excess of one-fourth inch and at a high heat, is laid ofil into the desired sizes by the marking gang who make the measurements while the sheet is traveling and provide the necessary markings on the upper it'ace of the sheet. This gang contains at least four workmen (generally more) additional to those required to manipulate the sheet to bring it to proper position beneath the shears. After this marking is provided, the sheet is passed between the shear blades where one of the workmen direct-s the positioning ot the mark on the line of cut, this positioning depending upon the eyesight ot' the workman. `When the sheet positioned as accurately as the sight will permit, the shear is operated and the cut n ade. Gwing to the pressure placed on the sheet during the cutting operation, there is provided a heavy pressure toward the advancing portion ot the sheet, and this latter pressure tends to gradually shift the sheet so as to carry themarki'rom the line of cut, so that even where the original sighting was perfeet, there is no surety that the line of cut mark. inasmuch, however, as the sighting must depend upon the correctness of the eye in covering a distance ranging up to ten and twelve feet (the Specication of Letters Patent.

Application tiled November 22, 1911.

Fatented May l2, Mild.

Serial No. 661,778.

width of thesheet), there is n claim oit accuracy n'iade in the size of the plates produced, an allowance generally being 'made to cover the errors ot sighting` and the results of the pressure during this operation. Among the many ditliculties encountered 1n attempting to remedy the system indicated` is the 'fact that the plates are cut to pdd sizes including Jfractions of an inch, the lowest being one-fourth. To provide for variations of this small size would require the use oif gages operated on the threading principle or the provision of rack bars or their equivaient structures with teeth spaced to provide such distances. In either case, however, gages capable of providing the small measurements and operating` on these principles, where the type ot gages of the present day are employed, could not be used in the cutting of sheets ot steel, such as above referred to, owing to the fact that the rearward pressure during the cutting operation is so great as to destroy the gage because of the insuiiicient resistance which could be provided by the material supporting the. gage. These facts have heretofore prevented the employment ot' gages for this purpose and have required the use of the marking gangs (with the consequent large expense) without obtaining accuracy in output eX- cepting by accident.

rihe present invention aims to overcome these ditliculties, and therefore has for its objects-(l) The provision of a gage device capable of adjustment to fractions of an inch and of a form to resistthe rearward pressure provided by the cutting operation. 2) To eliminate the requirement of a pre-marking of the sheets. (3) To provide a gage structure which can be adjusted with rapidity and which will insure an accurate positioning on the desired line of cut. To provide a gage structure located in the path of the advancing sheet, and which will permit the gage 'to be moved into gaging position or out of such position to permit the sheet to pass the gage, at will. To provide a gage structure having a main gage member and a plurality of auxiliary inembers cooperating therewith to provide adjustments intermediate those which the main gage can provide individually. To provide a gage structure having a plurality oi gage members spaced substantially equi-distant, and a rack-bar having spaced depressions of greater distance than the distance between the gage members. (7) To provide a gage structure having a plurality of main gages connected to move in unison and arranged in spaced relationship with their forward faces in a common plane, said gages being movable in directions toward and from the line of cut, the plane of the gage faces being' parallel with the line of out throughout such movements. (8) To pro vide a gage structure with a supporting bar notched at spaced distances greater than the length of gage distance-variations, and a c0- operating structure also of greater distance spacing differing from the spacing of the bar, the parts cooperating to provide the proper gage distance variations.

Other and further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which is simple and efficient in operation, durable in construction, readily repaired, which will provide accurate adjustments, and which can be manufactured and installed at a relatively low cost.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, my invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views-Figure 1, is a diagrammatic view illustrating one way in which my device may be installed in connection with a shear structure in a steel mill. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View taken through a gage unit and its supporting bar, the latter being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the supporting bar taken at right angles to the showing of Fig. 2, and showing the main gage member seated in one of the notches or recesses of the supporting bar. Fig. l is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 3, showing the gage unit moved out of the path of movement of the sheet of material.

The device forming my present invention comprises a plurality of units cach mounted on a supporting bar, the several units being connected together to operate in unison. As the units are substantial duplicates, a detailed description of one will suffice.

10 designates a supporting bar having its direction of length extending preferably at direct right angles to the line of cut, said bar being of any desired length and suppoited at its ends by suitable frame members indicated at 11. The member or bar 10 is of suitable coniiguration in cross-section, that disclosed in the drawings being circular, this form being preferable. rlhe upper portion of the bar is provided with a plurality of equally-spaced depressions or notches l2 arranged at spaced intervals of greater length than the distance between the fractional-inch variations which the gage is intended to provide, this ari' "igement being provided to enable the presence of suiiicient material in rear of the depressions to form a support for the gage member against the rearward pressure during the cutting operation. For example, where the device is intended for use in connection with the cutting of sheets of steel of the usual thickness (from oneeighth to one-half inch), preferably form the depressions or notches three-fourths inch in length and position them so as to provide a normal bar-conliguration one inch in length between successive notches, the latter being of a suitable depth and having the bottom of each notch extending in a plane coincident with or parallel to a diametrical plane extending horizontally of the bar. This proportion in the sizes of the parts per mits of the use of gage members having a thickness of three-fourths inch, a size sutlicient to withstand the pressures which may be placed thereon.

A gage unit is formed of a main gage member 13 and a plurality of auxiliary members 111, the latter being located in spaced succession in rear of the main memq ber, said members being carried by a rod 15 which passes through an elongated opening 16 formed in each of the members, the openings 16 being of a length which will permit a member to move vertically a dis tance preferably not less than the depth of the notches. Said members are substantially equal in thickness to the length of a notch (three-fourtl'is inch in the emmplcl referred to) so that when seated in a notch a member will be held fiXedly against material movement longitudinally of the bar 10, the relative proportions, however, permitting the member to freely enter the notch. The members are separated by spacing` members, such as washers 17, the latter being of an axial length less than the distance l iwcen successive notches, those shown being threefourtlis inch in length, so that while the notches are spaced one inch apart, the inem bers are spaced one-fourth inch resulting in a relative arrangement such as will prevent more than a single member of the unit passing to its seating position at any one time, the remaining members resting ou the upper surface of the bar 10.

To support the members on the bar 1 each member is provided with au op of a vertical. length preferably not the vertical thickness of the bar l upper wall of the opening extendiiie' iu a horizontal plane and forming a seat for the member when located in notch; the bottom wall of the opening corresponds in coiitour with the contour of the bottom of the bar,

the side walls of t-he opening extending vertically to provide for the vertical movement of the member on the bar. The openings 16 and 18 are relatively positioned so that when the upper wall of the opening 18 is in contact with the upper face of the bar, the rod 15 will be positioned at the bottom of the opening 1G, while the seating of the member within a notch will locate said rod 15 in the upper portion ofthe opening 16.

To retain the members on the rod l5, the latter may have a head. 19 at one end, and have its opposite end formed to permit the members to be properly assembled on the rod and held sufliciently close to provide the accurate spacing without, however, preventing individual members from having independent movement. One form of retaining the members in position is shown in the drawings, in which the end of the rod 15 is screw-threaded and adapted to receive lock nuts 20, a washer being preferably interposed between the rear member and the nuts. rlhe particular manner in which this securing is provided, however, is immaterial, since l may employ other forms of securing devices, such as eotter pins, wedges, etc., suoli securing devices being well-known in the arts and being equivalent to the form shown. rfhis enables a unit to be readily taken apart for repairs, such for instance, as the replacing of worn parts. .By this relative arrangement of parts, it will be readily understood that by the use of six auxiliary members, where the spacing of the bar 10 is as indicated in the above example, the member 13 may be adjusted to variations of onefourth inch. For instance, in Fig. 2, the second auxiliary member is shown as seated; if it be desired to move the unit one-fourth inch to the left, `the seated member is raised and the unit moved in the proper direction, resulting in seating the first auxiliary member in the preceding notch; an additional movement in the same direction to seatv the main member will again vary the distance one-fourth inch, while a movement in the opposite direction will cause an equal variation, a different member entering a notch. By the particular arrangement shown, the preceding member in the desired direction, will become active with each movement of one-fourth inch.

)V here it is desired to move the unit a dis tance greater than the length of one variation, the members may be held raised in any suitable manner, thus permitting the unit to move freely longitudinally of the bar 10; this can be done by placing suitable implement below the members to prevent either of them from dropping into a notch. Another way of operating the parts for this purpose is to move the members pivotally, with the bar 10 as the axis, to the position shown in Fig. t, freeing the seated member and permitting all of the members to be moved longitudinally of the bar 10.

As heretofore pointed out, L preferably employ a plurality of units, and these are connected together in suitable manner, as by a connecting member 21 having a swiveled connection with each unit, this construction permitting the units to be moved in unison either pivotally or longitudinally of the supporting bars 10. In order to prevent the member 21 from striking against the casters (forming the table on which the sheet travels) during the gage-shifting movements, l preferably form the member similar to a bell-crank, a pivotal movement of which will cause the member to pass to a position where its path of movement will be out of the planes of the casters.

For the purpose of permitting the workman manipulating the gage to its desired position, I preferably employ a measuring bar having the proper graduations thereon, this bar being mounted at a suitable point where it may be readily seen and positioned so as to permit the workman setting the main gage to the proper graduation of the bar. This may be provided by placing the measuring bar on the supporting frame members 11 (as shown at 22 in Fig. 1), but it is to be understood that the particular position shown is not arbitrary as it may be placed at any desired point.

The position of the gaging device relative to the line of cut will depend upon the work to be performed by the shearing apparatus. l/V here the shears are intended to provide a cross-cutting of the sheet, it may be preferred to place the gage in rear of the shears, thereby permitting the sheet to be moved past the cutting edge (if a true edge has been cut on the end of the sheet), the true edge being placed in contact with the face of the main gage (the units having been placed at the proper position). The cut is then made, the resulting plate removed and the sheet again moved into contact with the main gage member (the units being` moved to proper position if a dierent length of plate is to be cut). lThis arrangement permits the gage to be employed regardless of the length of the sheet. )Vlierc the line of out is to be longitudinal of the plate (which has been previously cut into its proper length), the device is preferably located in front of the shears, the position shown in Fig. 1. In view of the fact that. the general practice is to provide different shearing apparatus for providing these dierent cuts, it will be readily understood that an arrangement of the gage devices, such as above indicated, will permit the rolled sheet to be cut into the desired sizes without necessitating little, if any, marking of sizes thereon, the sizes to be cut being lmown to the Workman in charge of the gage device, the

Z3. A gage device comprising a` supporting bar. and a gage unit mounted on and movable longitudinally of said bar, said bar and said unit being complementally formed to provide gage adjustments by mutual engagement at predetermined fixed points in the direction of length of the bar, the amount ot engagement being limited to a fractional length oi' the unit.

et. .ft gage device comprising a supporting bar, and a gage unit mounted on and movable longitudinally of said bar, said bar and said unit being complementally formed to provide gage adjustments by mutual engagement at predetermined fixed points in the direction of length of the bar, the amount of engagement being limited to a fractional length of the unit, the distance between successive points being of equal length.

5. A gage device comprising a supporting bar, having a plurality of equally-spaced depressions, and a gage unit mounted on and movable longitudinally of said bar said unit having plurality of independently movable members three of Which are positioned to provide a gage distance equal to the distance between successive bar depressions or to a :fractional part of such distance.

t3. A gage device comprising a supporting bar havinga plurality of equally-spaced depressions. and gage unit mounted on and movable longitudinally of the bar said unit having a plurality of independently movable members coperating with bar depressions to provide a gage distance equal to the distance betiveen successive bar depressions or to fractional parts of such distance.

7. A gage device comprising a supporting bar having a plurality or equally-spaced depressions. and a gage unit mounted on and movable longitudinally of the bar said unit having a plurality of independently movable members cooperating ivith bar depressions to provide a distance equal to the distance betiveen successive bar depressions or to fractional parts of such distance, said fractional distances being of equal length.

8. A. gage device comprising a supporting bar, and a gage unit mounted on and movable longitudinally of the bar, said unit comprising a plurality of equally-spaced members positioned in succession longitudinally ot the bar and cooperating with the bar to provide gage adjustments of equal distances longitudinally of the bar.

9. A gage device comprising a supporting member having spaced apart depressions. and a gage unit movable longitudinally of the member and its depressions, and including a plurality of spaced-apart members seatable in said depressions, the spacing of said members relative to the depressions preventing adjacent members from simultaneously seating in depressions.

10. A gage device comprising a supporting member, and a gage unit movable longitudinally of the member and its depressions and including a plurality of spaced-apart members, said supporting member and unit members being complementally formed to provide variable gage positions or the unit at predetermined points on said member, the spacing ot said members relative to the distance between said points preventing simultaneous engagement ot adjacent unit members with the. supporting member.

11. A gage device comprising a supporting element, and a gage unit movable longitudinally ot the member and its depressions and including a plurality of spaced-apart members, said element and members being complementally formed to provide temporary engagement therebetween at spaced intervals in directions corresponding to the direction of length. of the unit, the distance betvveen engagement points of the element relative to the spacing of the members preventing simultaneous engagement oii adjacent members. 12. A gage device comprising a supporting element having spaced-apart depressions, and a gage unit including a plurality of spacedapart members independently movable into and out of depressions and collectively movable longitudinally of the element.

13. A gage device comprising a supporting element having spaced-apart depressions, and a gage unit including a plurality of spacedapart members independently movable into and out of depressions and collectively movable longitudinally of the element or at an angle thereto. Y

14. A gage device comprising a supporting element having spaced-apart depressions, and a gage unit movable longitudinally of the element and including a plurality of spaced-apart members and means for connecting said members in successive arrangement to permit movement into and out of the depressions. 15. A gage device comprising a supportmg element having spaced-apart depressions, and a. gage unit, movable longitudinally of the element and said unit embodying a plurality of spaced-apart members, and a connecting member, said spaced-apart members being independently movable into and out of depressions.

16. In combination, a plurality of gage units supported to move toward and from a Work-performing point in parallel planes and co-acting to position the work relative to said work-performing point, meansfor providing variable gage positions at predetermined spaced-apart points in such directions ot movement, and means for connect.- ing said devices to operate in unison.

17. ln combination, a plurality of gage units supported to move in parallel planes and eacli iorined oit a plurality of members iii spaced-apart relation, and means tor connecting corresponding members to cause llie units to move in unison.

18. The con'ibination with a work-performing device for operating upon material of relatively high resisting strength and in which the operation of the device provides pressure on the material in the direction et gage position, oit a gage device :tor controlling the position of the work dii-ring such operation and serving additionalli7 to retain tlie material in tliegaged position against such material-pressure, said device including inter-engageahle members.

19. The combination with a. shear for cutting metal plates, of a gage device movable toward and from and adapted to be positioned relativelj,7 to the shear line to provide an abutment extending parallel to said line, said abutment being supported to retain the gagged slieet portion against pressure provided buv the shearing` operation, said device iiicliiiling inter-eugageable members,

20. The coiiiliiiiation with :i shear tor cut ting metal plates, and tabl-e over which the plate travels, of a gage device movable toward and from and adapted to be positioned relatively to the shear line to provide an abutment extending parallel to said line, said abutment being supported to reA tain the gaged sheet portion against pressure provided bv the shearing oilieratieii, said device being movable at will to carry the gage below the plane ot the table.

2l. The combination with a shear for cutting metal sheets, and casters forming a table over which the sheet travels, of a gage device mounted between casters and adapted to extend tliereabove in gaging position, i

said device beingmovable toward and from and adapted te be positioned relatively to' the shear line to provide an abutment eX- tending parallel to said line, said abutment being supported to retain the gaged sheet portion against pressure provided by the shearing operation, said device being mov able. at will to carryv the gage below the plane oi the table.

riflie coinbiiiation with a shear for cut ting metal sheets, and casters over which the sheet travels, ot a. gage device located between. casters and movable toward and t'roin the shear line, said device having a portion adapted to extend above or belowv the top plane of the casters at will.

in a device,- a supporting member, and a gage unit movable longitudinally members each independently adapted to co-- operate with the supporting member to pro said iiieiiihers relatively to a fixed point.

nl. lii a gage device, a supporting; iiieiiilieiu .ma i an auxiliary member movable in unison toward and from xed point, said meinbers indepeA dentlv cooperating with the supiiositioning et the gage member relative to the fixed point.

Allegheny, and State oit Pennsylvania, this Elst daf.Y oit October, 1911.

lii presence oli- J. C. Si-iiiiirniz,

thereof as a unit and having a plurality of vide an adjustable positioning of one ot li a unit having a. gage ineiiilier and oorigiiig member to provide an adjustable Cdigned at Homestead, iii the count)T of GEORG-l il. billigt? Fllllt.

Enwiii lllixiniinnm'ifti.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. G. 

